Wait Till He Turns

Earlier that morning, before they left, the sun was orange and yellow with pink and purple in it.

Nathan Deville was 19 years old when this happened. He and his dad left Latanier at 7:20.

On a hunting day they would have been gone by five, in place at daylight, 6:30. This was not that kind of day. They were headed to their hunting lease in Lena to fill feeders. His dad had just bought a Honda Ranger, a side by side, and they wanted to see what terrain it could go through.

It was a relatively cold morning. Most of the leaves on the trees were brown. The green had nearly all fallen.

Something told me to bring a rifle, just in case there was the slim chance we saw something.

I brought my .35 Whelen.

An astronomically large round. Nine times out of ten, it can drop them there.

We filled all the feeders. When we were done, we had time to blow. So we sat in a stand for a little bit, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

The ground was dry. With all the pine trees, there were shadows everywhere. It smelled almost completely of pine, with a natural earth smell underneath.

For about ten minutes, me and Dad were laughing, hollering, yelling, hitting stuff. Just having a good time.

Then I looked up.

On the right side of my shooting lane, a buck had come out. It froze for a second. Then it started following the right treeline toward us.

It was around 9:15. I was the only one who saw it. I gave Dad the signal that one had come out. We both froze.

I had never shot a deer with someone there, let alone my dad. My heart was pounding.

I waited.

It came up to about 120 yards. Then it turned broadside. I could see its ribs and its side.

I held for about ten seconds, on the heart. Then I pulled the trigger.

The shot

116 yards

The buck dropped where it stood.

He dropped. No running. No struggle. He went down where he stood.

That was when I realized, in full length, what had just happened.

Dad got extremely excited. He couldn't believe it. We had just been in the same stand laughing, shouting, hitting stuff, having a good time, and then that happened.

We gave him a quick skim and couldn't find an entrance or exit hole. I aimed at the heart. That's what I know.

It was an eight point. The biggest buck I have shot to date.

We don't keep track of score or spread, just points and health.

I think it will most likely be the best deer I ever kill.

My dad was right there beside me, telling me what to do and when to do it.

It was my most priceless and unforgettable hunt.